


The Golden Hour

by NightshadeDawn



Series: That happened... [69]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, angty fluff, lil bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:40:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26475832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightshadeDawn/pseuds/NightshadeDawn
Summary: Golden Hour: the period of daytime shortly after sunrise or before sunset, during which daylight is redder and softer than when the Sun is higher in the sky.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira & Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira & Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira/Takamaki Ann, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Series: That happened... [69]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/760578
Kudos: 29





	The Golden Hour

**Author's Note:**

> Based off the prompt: "I'm not a thief. I'm just really good at acquiring things that aren't mine."

_“You want to go on a trip? Now?”_

_“Just the three of us?”_

_“Shouldn’t we wait for Futaba to wake up?”_

_“Yusuke said he’d check in on her and tell me when she woke up. It’ll be fine. I just need to go.”_

_“You’re gonna leave whether we go or not, huh?”_

_“Seems like it… Well, I’ll go. I have nothing to do but wait.”_

_“I’ll go too! I just gotta call my ma on the road.”_

_“We’ll be back before the weekend’s over.”_

* * *

Tokyo was long behind the trio, with nothing but empty fields on either side and a seemingly unending road, no words spoken between them in some time. The only sound was the radio, mostly static more than anything else though occasionally lyrics of the ever popular _Beneath the Mask_ floated through, and the sound of Ann’s soft breathing in Akira’s ear. She leaned on the space between Akira and Ryuji’s seat, eyes closed and breathing slowly as if she was sleeping, but Akira knew her well enough to know that she was just listening. To the unending static, the sound of Ryuji softly humming along to the radio, the way the wheels of the car scraped against the road, the airconditioner. 

Ryuji reached over and brushed hair behind one of Ann’s ears and she leaned into the warm hand for a moment, a content smile making its way to her face. When his hand slipped down back to his side, Ann’s followed it, their fingers entwining together like they were made for each other. 

Akira eyed them from the corner of his eye, a small smirk playing on his lips at the action. Ryuji caught his gaze, a bright pink blush taking over his cheeks and he leaned against the window, turning away from Akira as if that would hide the pink glow. Akira thought for a moment about taking Ann’s other hand, but the way it supported her made her look comfortable and he wished for their safety more than to join in the hand holding.

…For the moment.

* * *

_“Your driving is much better than in the Mementos.”_

_“I’m not trying to run things over in the real world.”_

_“Dude… Anyways, you think it’s okay to leave the cat back there with Boss?”_

_“Sojiro loves Morgana. He’ll be fine.”_

_“Still. He’s probably going to be mad that you left him behind. He’ll probably pout for a while.”_

_“It’s better than listening to him complain about the heat anymore.”_

_“But this car really does have good air conditioning, yeah? Where’d you get it anyhow?”_

_“…You don’t want to know.”_

_“With that answer, no I do not.”_

_“Did you steal it?”_

_“I’m not a thief. I’m just really good at acquiring things that aren’t mine.”_

_“Dude, that is literally the definition of a thief.”_

_“Actually-”_

_“Actually nothing! If we get caught, you could-”_

_“Ann, I didn’t steal it. I borrowed it from my reporter friend.”_

_“…Really?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_"Okay."_

* * *

Night settled in the quiet town. It was nothing compared to Tokyo, but it wasn’t as quiet as Akira had once known. It made him miss both of his home, the one where he’d grown up and the one he’d grown to love. One was behind him and one was in front of him. 

Ann returned to the car, finding Akira and Ryuji leaning against the hood of it, after getting confirmation about their stay at the motel. Though Akira knew it was far less upscale than the places she usually stayed at when away from home, she hadn’t voiced a complaint when they found it was the only place in town.

The three headed to their room, Akira between the other two with their arms wrapped around him. There was only one bed barely big enough for the three of them, no hot water, and the owner had promised an early day if they wanted breakfast included with their stay.

Akira was quiet as he undressed, eyes almost blank and unseeing. Without the need to stay sharp on the road to occupy his mind, it was almost like his body was shutting down. He hadn’t explained why he had the sudden urge to leave Tokyo, and neither Ann nor Ryuji had pressed, though it had been clear they wanted to.

Ryuji came up behind Akira before he could pull his night shirt on, wrapping his arms around Akira’s tone frame and kissing his neck. Akira leaned his head backwards, as though to question Ryuji, but Ann’s delicate hands took Akira’s cheeks and forced him to look down at her. She stood on her toes to kiss him, growing deeper until Akira felt himself slumping against Ryuji. 

Before Akira could wrap his arms around Ann, she took one of his hands while Ryuji took the other, leaving him completely in the control of the two on either side of him. Ann began to lightly trace her fingers over Akira’s chest, barely more than a phantom touch, as Ryuji left small bruises on Akira’s neck and back. Both sensations made his body heat up. His mind went blank when one of their hands- he couldn’t quiet tell whose- grabbed at him through his pants. One of them tossed his glasses onto the discarded pile of clothes on the floor before leading him to the bed, sandwiching him between the two of them.

They let his hands fall onto the bed as he was laid down, and he didn’t bother to try to reach out for either of them as their hands continued to _touch_ , to burn like fire on his skin. It was all they did, touch him. But Akira’s mind was blurry from it, gasps and whimpers falling from his lips like prayers. Ann, with her small, delicate hands, so firm yet unconditionally kind, that wielded Hecate’s fire. Ryuji’s touch, hands large and rough to the touch, sending sparks to shoot through him like the light lighting of Seiten Taisei.

 _I love you_ , said every touch, words unspoken in their wake. _I love you_ , replied every gasp, pleasure coursing through his veins.

* * *

_“I’ve never been somewhere this small before. Even travelling overseas with my parents, we always stuck to big cities.”_

_“My hometown’s smaller than this.”_

_“That’ll be an experience. I’ve never been outta Tokyo.”_

_“Really? Not even for the school trips?”_

_“Nah. Either got suspended and couldn’t or just skipped.”_

_“But you’ll go this year, right? We’re going to Hawaii. I want to spend the trip with my favorite boys.”_

_“They might hold me back ‘cause of how shitty my grades are.”_

_“Akira will help you study beforehand, right? Then we can all go. Right?”_

_“…Yeah. Wouldn’t want to leave you behind, Ryu.”_

_“Saps. But… thanks.”_

* * *

The dawn sky was always pretty, the kind of beauty that Yusuke would exclaim about and immediately pull out a small canvas to begin painting. Something that deserved to be preserved for all of time. By contrast, the light filtered into the motel’s breakfast area cast everything in an almost grey sheen. 

Akira, never a morning person by nature, lay slumped on the breakfast table while Ann picked at her morning meal of over sugared atrocities and Ryuji turned away just a bit for a little privacy while trying to explain the situation to his mom, again, and assure her that they were going to be back soon.

Akira flexed his fingers and without even looking, Ryuji took his hand in a gentle hold as if Akira’s action had been a call for it. Nevertheless, Akira tightened his hold and smiled softly, the action returned by Ryuji. 

There was a small click amidst the background clatter of the nearly empty room, save for the three and the staff working away behind the bar in the kitchen. Akira looked up to Ann, who held her phone up. She grinned and winked at him before pocketing her phone again, holding a finger to her lips. Akira buried his face in his arms, both tired and embarrassed. Ryuji squeezed his hand in response, a twinkling of humor in his eyes.

* * *

_“How much farther until we get there?”_

_“We’ll get to town by five at the latest, but we’re going past that, so maybe around six?”_

_“Going past? You don’t want to introduce us to your parents?”_

_“That’s not…”_

_“Ann, don’t tease ‘im. Gimme some of your chips.”_

_“Sorry, I ate them all.”_

_“What!? Seriously, again…?”_

_“Chill, we still have more.”_

_“We need to take the return trip, you two.”_

_“Don’t worry so much! We’ve got plenty!”_

_“You sure you don’t want to trade off, man? You’ve been driving this entire time.”_

_“Neither of you have a license.”_

_“Neither do you.”_

_“Neither of you can_ **_drive_** _.”_

_“Thaaaaat one’s fair.”_

_“But tell us when you need a break, m’kay? You gotta eat sometime, dude.”_

_“Oooooor… one of us could feed you.”_

_“That’s, uh, um, uh, well…”_

_“That’s just gonna distract him.”_

_“I was just teasing! Geez. Oh, hey, can we turn the music up a bit? I like this song!”_

_“Yeah yeah.”_

* * *

Inaba was exactly as Akira remembered it. Quiet and peaceful, with skies so blue they seemed unreal. It would have only taken mere hours to get there, do what he wanted, then get back to Tokyo. It would have been a whole lot easier than sneaking out before dawn with almost no plan and only a phone call to Ann and Ryuji last minute to see if they were down for the trip. Akira had never been known to do things the easy way. But he was known to be impulsive.

Akira had just wanted to go around town, there were plenty of backroads he could take to get where he wanted, even if it would have taken them at least another hour before being able to arrive. But Ann and Ryuji both convinced him to stop in town at Junes--their only concern was somewhere to pick up food and the bathroom, but Akira just wanted to stop at Junes to see if he catch a glimpse of either of his dads. 

But he knew he couldn’t go inside. Part of his probation was being _away_ from home, so it was dangerous to even be in town. There were pleanty of people who wouldn’t rat him out, but just as many who would. So Akira stayed in the car as he watched Ryuji and Ann disappear into Junes with his wallet and the promise of getting enough food and drinks to last the return trip.

Akira sank lower into his seat as a song his parents loved began playing. _Your Affection_. Such a sappy song. And hardly understandable. Ann would probably understand the words better than Akira did, knowing more of English and English metaphors, but Ryuji would be worse than both of them, not even knowing a single words of English. 

_Days go by without quiet nights_ , whispered in Akira’s ear just as a light tapping sounded on the window above his head. Akira opened his eyes, and they widened behind the square frames of his glasses as the sight of the imposing man outside the the car. For a few precious, terrifying moments, he couldn’t decide whether to open the door or burrow further into his seat.

In the end, opening the door won out. Before he’d even stepped out, Akira was wrapped in the strong arms of his pseudo-uncle Kanji.

* * *

_“You doin’ okay, kid?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“You takin’ care of yourself?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“You keepin’ up with school?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Yer dads have been worryin’ ‘bout you.”_

_“Sorry…”_

_“Don’t keep ‘em waitin’ too long, ‘kay?”_

_“I won’t.”_

_“Saw those kids goin’ in there from the car. They takin’ good care of ya?”_

_“…Uh, ye-yeah.”_

_“Good. I’ll wait’n tell yer dads you were here til after you get back where you’re supposed to be.”_

_“I’m supposed to be here.”_

_“You know what I mean. Take care of yourself, will ya? We’re all waitin’ on ya to come back home, Akira.”_

_“…I’ll be home soon.”_

_“We know you will.”_

* * *

No one else bothered Akira while he awaited the return of his beautiful blondes. Ann carried a cute picnic basket while Ryuji had a heavy looking bag slung across his arm, bulky and items trying to spill out of the top. Ann climbed into the front seat before Ryuji had the chance, making Ryuji pout but he still wordlessly got into the back seat and began sorting through things. He handed Akira a wrapped sandwich and Ann didn’t let him start the car until he’d eaten it. Then they were back on the road. 

Unlike most of the roads they’d taken into Inaba, the roads Akira drove down were all shadowed by large clusters of ancient trees, giving them a welcome reprieve from the bright light of the summer sun. For a bit, the windows were even rolled down so they could feel the wind whipping around them.

Ann turned up the radio until it was blasting, and she and Ryuji sang along to the music. If they weren’t so set on what they wanted to be, Akira would have suggested they consider a future in singing. If he didn’t know how bad Ann was at acting, he would have questioned if there was anything she couldn’t do. But there wasn’t, for either of them. If Ryuji or Ann put their minds to it, Akira was certain they could do anything. Even with Ann’s lackluster acting and Ryuji’s poor social skills in most situations, they were so amazing, and Akira didn’t know what he’d do without them.

* * *

_“Hey, where’d you learn to drive anyway?”_

_“My dad. He taught to drive a motorcycle too, but all I’ve got at home is a scooter.”_

_“But still! That’s amazing! So Makoto isn’t the only one…”_

_“The old man didn’t like it when Dad taught me, but it was sort of like a birthday present a couple years ago.”_

_“Old man? So even you can have sarcastic moments, Akira.”_

_“But he does look like an old man though?”_

_“Wait, for real!?”_

_“I mean, his face looks younger than he is, but he’s got grey hair. Dad used to joke that I was the one that gave it to him, but I’ve seen their high school pictures.”_

_“Hey, I’ve got another question.”_

_“Yeah?_

_“Why do you even where glasses when you don’t need them?”_

_“It’s a psychological thing, I think. I used to get night terrors as a kid, and when I woke up I’d see these giant, eyeball looking things with weird tongues.”_

_“What is with you and eyeballs? Your paralysis demons, the MetaNav… Ow, Ann! What was that for!?”_

_“Let him finish!”_

_“You’re not wrong about them looking like demons. They kinda reminded me of the Shadows from Mementos… But, anyway, they usually scared me more than the night terrors. Then the old man put his glasses on me and told me that I’d see the world as it really was through them, and… it worked. Whenever I wore his glasses, I didn’t see the monsters. Eventually Uncle Teddie gave me these and they worked the same. They weren’t real, but these made me feel better anyway.”_

_“Dude, you’ve had shit goin’ on for forever, man.”_

_“Heh… you’re not wrong. I don’t even know why Dad and the old man had the glasses. They didn’t need hem either. Still, they helped me a lot.”_

_“You seem to love them a lot.”_

_“…Yeah, I do.”_

_“It must’ve been hard leavin’ here…”_

_“I’m sorry about that.”_

_“Wasn’t your fault. And you made it better.”_

* * *

An hour outside of Inaba, there was a lake surrounded by dense forest. From the hours of noon to sundown, the water was crystal clear. So clear that you could all the way to the bottom. But golden hour, a single hour of the day, right before sunset, the lake was painted gold. The gold tint of the lake seemed to reflect off the water and onto the surrounding area, as if the entire world had a golden film over it. Despite the beauty of the place, it always seemed deserted, leaving it practically silent save for the birds and gentle _swish_ of the waves. It was, without a doubt, Akira’s favorite place. 

More than the floodplains, more than the Junes foodcourt, more than the safety of his parents arms, or (more recently) the second booth of Leblanc, the golden hour at the lake was where he felt most at peace. A strange time between yesterday and tomorrow by not quite today. At the same time before and after but also never. 

It wasn’t even the first time Akira had broken the court’s ruling to come running tot he lake. He’d gone there to clear his head after he’d been accused of assault but before he’d been handed over to Sojiro. 

With the same wordless, murky expression that he’d held the entire trip, Akira pulled off his socks and shoes and rolled his jeans up to his knees before walking into the water until it reached his shins. The gentle push and pull of the water seemed to ground him. He closed his eyes, soaking in the golden sunlight. 

A gentle hand touched his shoulder, making Akira open his eyes. By the time he looked over, another had grabbed his opposite hand. Ryuji and Ann both leaned on Akira, not quite holding him or hugging him, but giving him much needed comfort anyway.

* * *

_“Are we doing the right thing?”_

_“Running away while you’re on parole?”_

_“Being Phantom Thieves.”_

_“Oh.”_

_“I think so. I think we are.”_

_“Hmm…”_

_“You’re a good leader, Akira.”_

_“He’s right. No matter what you choose, we’ll follow you.”_

_“If you’ve got somethin’ to say, we’ll listen.”_

_“…It feels wrong. Orchestrated. Off.”_

_“Mmhm.”_

_“I don’t like how broadcasted this was.”_

_“Mmhm.”_

_“I just want to protect everyone.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“I feel like something bad’s going to happen.”_

_“Everything’s going to be fine.”_

_“How can you be sure?”_

_“Because we believe in you.”_

_“…Thank you.”_

_“Always.”_

* * *

Maybe they were a little longer than Akira’s promise of being back within the weekend, but three days away from everything, Phantom Thieves and impending doom and school, seemed to do all three of them some good. 

Morgana was reasonably angry, but quickly shut up as soon as he was presented with some sushi. Sojiro had been none too pleased either, reminding Akira that he was still on probation and he couldn’t realistically report that Akira was behaving if _Akira was running of to god knows where_. His nagging, however, was put to a minimum when he saw how tired all three teenagers were, just shaking his head and heading out of the cafe to restock.

So the three made their way to Akira’s attic bedroom and Ann and Ryuji collapsed on Ryuji’s bed as Akira set about changing. When he looked back at them, they were already asleep, clinging onto each other. 

The light from the setting sun gleamed through the window above Akira’s bed, making their hair appear golden instead of their usual blonde. Akira sat on the edge of the bed, a soft smile on his face, as he brush hair out of Ryuji’s face. Ryuji grabbed Akira’s wrist and pulled him down into the pile, clinging onto him just as tightly as he was clinging onto Ann.

Akira’s smile was still present as he curled into Ryuji’s side. He didn’t need a special hour or a lake to clear his mind or make him feel whole. Not when these two, who were each a beautiful, special golden hour all by themselves, were by his side, proving that he could be saved.

**Author's Note:**

> The hours of silence in the grey light of dawn, but the colors have fully become apparent, the gold hour, the hours before sunset, are my favorite times of day, and Akira really does seem like the kind of person that would leave all of his responsibilities for a three day trip to go somewhere for an hour.
> 
> Before this, I did not know that 'golden hour' was also a medical term. Huh.


End file.
